I'm a fan of BengalsZone writings. I offer you the suggestion to read if/when you have time. But I have one contention with Walter's latest. He's running a weekly series of players that need to step up. This week: Carson Palmer. To a point, I believed that Palmer wasn't in his usual perfectionist form. And excuses can be made. He wasn't in synch with his #3 receiver. There was no running game. Baltimore's defense isn't that bad. And I don't believe leadership was a quality Palmer lost Monday Night. I simply think too many variables suggest his struggles. After all, this is the first regular season game of the year and it takes time to get into mid-season form.
On the other hand, he did complete over 60% of his passes. Threw two touchdowns. Finished with a passer rating of 100.3. There's truth in that Palmer tried to force throws putting the offense entirely on his shoulders. He made some throws that no human being could possibly complete. But he, and the rest of his mates, did enough to win the game. Being 1-0 with sloppy numbers is better than being 0-1 with sexy numbers.
I'm not ripping Walter's work -- it's been tremendous. I just don't agree with his assessment. If I gave out the "need to step up" award, without question I'd consider Rudi Johnson for, as TarZander points out. I know that Jeremi Johnson missed a few blocks that went for negative yards. I think the offense as a whole struggled. But they never fell apart and kept trucking along. And that's why I think Palmer's leadership, if anything, rose rather than fell.
Alright, enough of that.
Moving on.
Need tickets to this weekend's Browns/Bengals game? They're available. And it's not like Browns fans are going. I say we do the same to them as they did us during the Age of Helplessism.
GoDaddy!
I've always believed that if you bought a domain name from GoDaddy.com, you'd have a large breasted brunette rewarding you for your URL convictions. I was wrong. Now Chad Johnson is doing a GoDaddy commercial. Let's see. Large breasted brunette or Chad Johnson. I love Chad and all but...
Brady?
No. Derek Anderson is starting against Cincinnati this Sunday.
Reading this blog.
CincyJungle [What's up with Levi?]
The AP [Riddled by injuries, Bengals' offensive line is holding its own]
CincyJungle [Bengals blitzing changed complexion of game, win 27-20]
Bill Rabinowitz [Increased blitzing benefits Bengals]
Bengals.com [Busy blitz]